New-vehicle registrations of 11,238 passenger cars in March was one of the top 10 best sales months in New Zealand in almost 40 years, according to Motor Industry Association figures. “This result shows that New Zealanders are continuing to take advantage of our strong dollar backed by confidence in the economy to replace their vehicles,” said MIA chief executive officer David Crawford. Last month’s figure was made up of 7994 passenger vehicles and 3244 light commercials, increases respectively of 1194 and 538 units on March 2013, or a hike of 17.5 per cent for cars and 20 per cent for commercials. After three months of 2014, 30,879 new cars and commercials have been registered. If the monthly average so far of just over 10,000 vehicles continues, this year will challenge the 1984 record of 123,247 sales. Toyota was the overall market leader for March with a 16 per cent market share (1802 units), followed by Ford with 11 per cent (1202) and Holden 8 per cent (950). Toyota dominated passenger car sales with 1049 registrations, ahead of Hyundai’s 774. The Toyota Corolla remains the top selling passenger model followed by the Suzuki Swift and the Holden Commodore. The Mitsubishi Outlander and Mazda 3 shared fourth place. The Ford Ranger was the commercial leader in March, selling 550 units to the Toyota Hilux’s 505. The Ranger leads the sales race after three months. Sports utility vehicles accounted for 29 per cent of overall sales in March, followed by pick-ups/chassis-cabs with 20 per cent and small passenger cars at 19 per cent. Certainly sales in recent months continue to perform at levels last seen in the early 1980s. Last month was the strongest March since 1984, when 12,311 units were sold. The best sales month for the industry since MIA records began in 1975 was the 13,983 registrations in July 1984, when David Lange’s Labour government ousted the Rob Muldoon regime and immediately devalued the NZ dollar by 20 per cent. The NZ economic landscape was changed forever. Monthly sales have exceeded 10,000 units only 33 times since 1975. Yearly sales have gone beyond 100,000 only nine times. The most buoyant years were in the early 1980s – 114,842 overall sales in 1981, 114,159 in 1982, and the 123,247 in 1984. Last year’s 113,297 total was the fourth highest on record.

Alastair Sloane has been a newspaper journalist for more than 40 years. He was the motoring editor of the New Zealand Herald for 16 years from 1996 until 2012. He owns a 1968 VW Beetle. Best days at the wheel include doing part of the Land Rover Camel Trophy route in Papua New Guinea, driving a Nissan Patrol over earthquake-hit roads in Guatemala, and a Ferrari Italia on Enzo’s old hill-climb road in Italy.

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